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OF THE 



Sounfl s^m'0 eoloniiatcow Society 



OF PENNSYLVANIA.. 



BEAD FEBRUARY 2 2, 183 7. 



ANNUAL REPORT 



Ii3©iiIEID (^W MIil2^ii©IiIBS 



THE YOUNG MEN'S COLONIZATION SOCIETY 

ii 



PENNSYLVANIA: 



READ FEBRUARY 23, 183T. 



PUBLISHED BY OHDEH OF THE PENNSTLVAMA COLOIVI Z ATION SOCIETY. 



PHILADELPHIA: 

PRINTED BY WILLIAM STAVELY, 

No. 12 Pear street. 

183 7. 



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The annual meeting of the Young Men's Colonization Society 
of Pennsylvania was held in the Central church, Dr. McDowell, 
the pastor, being present. The chair was taken by Dr. Cuyler, 
one of the vice-presidents of the Society. Dr. Skinner, late go- 
vernor of Liberia, addressed tlie large assemblage present on the 
state of the colony, its influence on civilization and Christianity in 
Africa ; and was followed in the same strain by Mr. Pinncy, who 
had also been governor of Liberia. Rev. Mr. Hunt concluded by 
giving his own personal experience, and the experience of many 
southern gentlemen, to show that one of the first and best effects of 
colonization was emancipation. The Report was read by Dr. Bell. 



REPORT. 



The circumstances connected with colonization in Africa, 
and with the efforts of the friends of the cause in Pennsyl- 
vania and the United States generally, during the past year, 
furnish abundant reasons for congratulation to the great hu- 
man family, however diversified by color or other peculiari- 
ties. 

There, we know, live several communities of free men, 
speaking our own language, believers in our holy religion, 
enjoying ample scope for the exercise of industry in agricul- 
ture, commerce, and the arts ; men who but a short time ago 
were slaves, fearful and suspicious — themselves regarded 
with dislike and mistrust, for whom and for whose children 
the future, on this earth, promised no amelioration. 

Here, we feel and know to be more and more diffused that 
cause which enlists among its friends and advocates, patriots 
of all sections of the union and of all parties and creeds; 
which prompts the slaveholder of the south to emancipate 
his slaves, and citizens of every calling in the north to 
provide for the new freed-men a home and a refuge in the 
land of their father?, — far from oppressive or partial laws and 
equally oppressive and partial usages of society. 

The hopes held out in the last report of this Board, of a 
speedy resettlement of Bassa Cove, and of reparation of dam- 
ages suffered through the arts of the slave dealer, have been 
fully realized. The colonists, aided by the Governor of Li- 
beria, Dr. Skinner, resumed their possessions in December, 
1835; and measures were taken immediately afterwards to 
ensure them adequate protection against future violence. The 
seasonable arrival, at the same time, of the supplies sent by 
this Board, on behalf of the Society, under the superintend- 



dice of ]\Ir. Buchanan, who had received from it and from 
the New- York City G)lonization Society the appointment of 
governor of the new territory, infused joy and confidence 
into the minds of the colonists ; and was hailed by them as 
evidence of the continued and watchful interest for their wel- 
fare felt by their friends and the friends of their race in this 
state. From that time to the date of the latest accounts 
from the coast, they have continued in the enjoyment of un- 
interrupted prosperity. Health, peace, liberty, incentives to 
and reward of industry in the cultivation of a fertile soil, are 
some of the advantages atForded to them by their new posi- 
tion. 

A frcth body of emigrants, to the nuniber of 84, sailed from 
New-York in July last, under the immediate direction and at 
the expense of the Society of that city. They were emanci- 
pated slaves from the west and south, who carried with them 
the prayers of many clergymen, and members of the Board 
of Managers, as well as of numbers of both sexes assembled 
at the moment of their embarkation. They all, with the ex- 
ception of a very aged woman, 110 years old, who entreated 
that she might not be separated from her family and kindred, 
arrived in safety at Bassa Cove, amidst the congratulations 
and more solid assistance extended to them by the first settlers 
and the governor. Mr. Buchanan, in his despatch under 
date of September 2Gth, expresses himself to be much pleased 
with the appearance of the newly arrived emigrants, and his 
belief that they will very generally prove industrious and 
good citizens. 

The principles and practice of temperance, addiction to 
agriculture and the avoidance of petty traflic, the erection of 
churches, and the opening of schools, recommended by this 
Society and embodied in its constitution, have been diligently 
and successfully cariicd forward by the zeal and intelligence 
of Mr. Buchanan. With good accommodations themselves, 
and an ample supply of the fruits and vegetables, so abundant 
in that part of the world, the present colonists are now able 
to make preparation for new comers, and to procure, at once. 
fur (he latter ;i moderate enjoyment of all these advantages. 



By this arrangement the two principal causes of disease in 
new settlements, and especially in those of inter-tropical re- 
gions, will be prevented. These are, anxiety respecting pre- 
sent means of living, and exposure to the vicissitudes of 
weather, for want of suitable lodging. Precautions being 
taken to insure at once subsistence and dwellings for the 
newly arrived emigrants, — and to protect them against the de- 
structive eflfects of intoxicating drinks, the climate of Bassa 
Cove, and of the country in the interior, may be regarded as 
not only relatively but actually healthy. Of the accuracy of 
this opinion indisputable evidence is presented in the pleasing 
fact, that, from the date of resettlement in Dec'r., 1835, to the 
latterpartof Sept., 1830, when the last despatches were written, 
there had not been a single death in the colony. Thus is re- 
moved one of the most plausible, if not the weightiest objec- 
tion against settlements on the coast of Africa. It is now evi- 
dent that the colonist in that country, with common prudence 
and industry, will encounter fevv'er obstacles in procuring the 
means of subsistence at first, and of acquiring property after- 
wards, than the European emigrant arriving on our shores, or 
even than the native who emigrates from the Atlantic states 
to the far west. Monrovia, like many celebrated commercial 
cities, pays a tax for its maritime exposure and proximity to 
some low grounds, in the liability of the newly arrived in- 
habitants to fevers. But in other districts, even near the 
coast, no such drawback is experienced. Of the new settle- 
ment of Marshall, Dr. Skinner remarks: "There cannot be a 
healthier situation in any tropical climate. I should not, he 
continues, have the least fear, had I a convenient house at 
Marshall, to bring out the remainder of my family or to take 
under my care, at that place, any American for acclimation." 
Already has Mr. Buchanan succeeded in giving the same 
pleasing features to the settlement under his superintendence, 
which so forcibly arrested his attention in the old colony, and 
especially at New Georgia, and Congo Town, which are the 
residences of recaptured Africans, of persons snatched from 
recent slavery and all the horrors of a slave-ship. We shall 
give his impressions of the scene in his own words : 



"The air of perfcrt ncatncs?. thrift, and comfort, \vhich 
rci<^ns thronahout. n Horded a lovely commentarv on the ad- 
vancement whirl) (hose inlcrcplinc; people have made in civil- 
ization and Christian order, under the patronage of the Colo- 
nization Society. Imagine to yourself a level plain of some 
two or three hundred acres laid off into square 1)locks, with 
streets intersecting each other at right angles, as smooth and 
clean as the best swept side-walk in Philadelphia, and lined 
with well planted hedges of cassada and plum — houses sur- 
rounded with gardens luxuriant with fruit and vegetables — 
a school-house full of orderly children, neatly dressed and 
studiously engaged, — and then say whether I was guilty of 
extravagance in exclaiming, as I did, after surveying this most 
lovely scene, that, had the Colonization Society accomplished 
nothing more than had been done in the rescue from slavery 
and savage habits of these three hundred happy people, I 
should be well satisfied." 

On the same authority we are told, that the village at 
Bassa Cove, though so recently covered with a dense forest, 
presents a cheering picture of industry, neatness, and order. 

"The well cultivated gardens, full of various vegetation, im- 
part an idea of comfort and independence, while the broad 
smooth streets, shaded here and there by the graceful palm 
with its long feathery leaves, throws over the whole an air 
of picturesque beauty that is quite delightful." 

In addition to gardens, the settlers are put in possession of 
farms, from which the most esteemed products of the soil maybe 
obtained ; such as coffee, sugar, and cotton. Rice, by a happy 
exception to its mode of culture and the consequent dangers 
to health and life in other countries, can be raised there in 
abundance on the hill-sides, so as not only to meet the de- 
mand for consum[)tion. but ultimately of trade. We learn 
from Dr. Skiimer, that there are now between five and six 
hundred acres around the village cleared and under cultiva- 
tion. Adjoining the agency house there are about two acres 
of land, which Mr. lUichanan has got into rice, and garden 
vegetables; besides a quantity of coffee, papaw, pine-apple, 
plantain, and banana trees. 



A public farm, in which the productiveness and value of 
various plants and grains, and the best modes of cuUivation, 
will be tried, is by this time laid out and under the more im- 
mediate direction of Mr. Jonas Humphreys, an industrious 
and intelligent colonist who went out to Africa w-ith INIr. 
Buchanan. A step of great importance has already been 
made by the governor in his procuring several head of cat- 
tle ; and at the date of his despatch, in July last, a pair of 
oxen were at work daily in the yoke. 

The settlement at Bassa Cove, made and sustained with the 
joint guidance and assistance of this Society and of the New- 
York City Society, has now nearly two hundred souls, cheer- 
ful and happy in themselves, contented with the laws by 
which they are governed, and grateful for the bounty and 
paternal care with which they have been sustained through 
all vicissitudes. 

By an arrangement recently made with the parent Board 
at Washington, the town of Edina, on the northwest side of 
St. John's river, opposite to our settlement at Bassa Cove, 
and also a portion of land between this and Benson's river, has 
been ceded to the two Societies of Pennsylvania and New- 
York, and will form part of their territory, which, in propor- 
tion as peaceful and equitable purchase is made from the 
native chiefs, will extend along the coast between 50 and 
60 miles, and into the interior indefinitely, 

A fair and extensive field is now open for the display of 
benevolence on the part of the citizens of the great common- 
wealth of Pennsylvania, to enable the Society to continue 
with effect that which, in conjunction with other kindred as- 
sociations, it has begun so successfully. Who among us shall 
refuse to aid in the suppression of the slave-trade ? — a result 
unavoidable if the western coast of central Africa be occupied 
in whole, as it now is in part, by civilized and Christian colo- 
nies. That which the united navies of all the great powers 
of the world, and the bond of solemn treaties, are unable to 
bring about, can, by the zealous, determined, peaceful and le- 
gal efforts of our own citizens, under the banner of coloniza- 
tion, be fully accomplished. Who shall refuse to contribute 



his sljaic to Clin y tlic blessings of religion and of law to be- 
nighted Africa, and to substitute the altars of Christian wor- 
ship for those of idolatry, on wiiich human sacrifices are of- 
fered ! By no means, humanly speaking, can these results be 
obtained, unless colonization and the elementary arts of 
civilized life be associated with missionary efTort. Who 
amongst us, with the least feeling of sympathy for the slave, 
and an honest and earnest desire to see him in the enjoy- 
ment of rational freedom, can refuse to aid in this great work ? 
Let us but foster the growing desire of masters to emancipate, 
by our aiding them to find a home and a refuge for their 
manumitted slaves; and we shall sec slavery rapidly losing 
its most odious features, to be eventually replaced by liberty 
animated by religion and guided by intelligence. For every 
house built in Africa and occupied by a freeman, there will 
have been a cabin the less in this country to lodge a family of 
slaves. Churches and schools erected there will be a glad 
signal for the entire freedom of Christian worship and element- 
ary education among the slaves here, secured to them by 
masters who desire and design to prepare them for emigra- 
tion and colonization. This is no fancied picture. Wherever 
colonization is understood by our fellow citizens in the south 
and west, it leads to an amelioration of the state of the slaves, 
and incites their owners to their liberation with a rapidity far 
in advance of the means in the possession of the Societies for 
their removal. Many hundreds are now freed and ready to 
depart to Africa, waiting only for the means of transporta- 
tion thither. Thousands more would follow were the re- 
quisite facilities for removal assured to them. Let, then, the 
people of the north animate and aid their brethren of the 
south ; let the rivalry be of good works, and not of hostile 
speech and infuriated threats; and the most ardent lover of 
his species will see his noblest aspirations realized, in the im- 
provement and emancipation of the slave here, and advance- 
ment of the latter and of his descendants in Africa to a higher 
destiny. 

The importance of cduc ation towards promoting the pros- 
perity, and giving stability to the institutions of the American 





colonies in Africa, was early felt by this Society. In its first 
instructions to the Agent, will be found those relating to this 
subject ; and among the earliest measures adopted in the 
colony, were the erection of a school-house, and the formation 
of a Lyceum. The funds of the Society being, however, of 
necessity applied to the immediate purposes of emigration 
and fust settlement, its reliance must be on the friends of 
knowledge and of Christianity, to help it out in the vi- 
gorous prosecution of these incipient efforts. It is indeed 
one of the many excellent features of our system, that the 
Society can be made the almoner and trustee, as it were, 
to carry out benevolent designs of a specific character; such 
as the erection of a church or a school-house, endowing Sun- 
day schools, a college, and the like. In this manner, some 
have taken up the subject of education in Liberia, and have 
contributed money and books to its aid. The proposition to 
found and endow a college in the colony, has been warmly se- 
conded by liberal donations in the city of New- York ; and it 
only requires that we should place it fairly before the in- 
habitants of Pennsylvania to insure an equally decided and 
efficient support here- 
in these and kindred acts, promotive of colonization, the 
assistance of the other sex has been given with its character- 
istic discernment and delicately tempcied zeal. But who 
does not know, that, wherever the voice of humanity calls, 
there is woman to respond; wherever sufferings are greatest, 
there is she, most forward and earnest, like a ministering 
angel, to pity and relieve. On the present occasion we can- 
not, without ingratitude, omit to notice the timely aid furnish- 
ed by the Ladies' Societies of Pittsburgh, and of Wilmington, 
the newly formed Baptist Society, together with the Ladies' 
Libenan Association, both of this city. The pleasure of well- 
doing must be greatly increased in the minds of our fair 
auxiliaries by the reflection, that they gracefully restrict 
themselves to the limits within which their good deeds are 
most known and most appreciated. They are acting on 
principles sanctioned by that religion in which charity is so 
bright and conspicuous a feature, principles which furnish no 

B 



10 

matter for anger and strife, and fierce denunciation and hate ; 
])riiicij)lcs whose appHcalion is not of remote and problemati- 
cal eflicacy, nor susceptible of causing agitation and alarm 
among our fellow citizens in other parts of the union. 

Were the authority of names to be invoked in support of 
the great cause for which this Societ}^ laboi's, those of the 
venerated men, who have been recently lost to us, would 
furnish the most scrupulous with undeniable guaranty. In a 
question which involves the domestic, civil, and political re- 
lations of mankind, and the practicability of any great scheme 
of national philanthropy, need we desire higher and m.ore 
conclusive testimony than that borne in our favor by James 
Madison, the man who more than any other contributed to 
the formation of the constitution under which the citizens of 
these United States live ? The claims of the Colonization 
Society were examined by him, at an early period, and se- 
cured his warmest approbation and support. Of equal authori- 
ty, in this matter, to that of Madison is Marshall. If we admire 
tlie first for the part he took in framing the constitution, 
we must venerate the latter for his watchful guardianship 
over its purity and faithful working. This profound jurist 
and equitable judge never wavered in his support of 
colonization. He gave counsel, and gave money, at a period 
when both were most essential. Mr. JNIadison has made 
liberal bequests in the same channel. But the testimony 
which at once obviates all doubts of this great question, in 
its moral and religious aspect, has been given by one whose 
venerable form so familiar to us all, only within the last 
year disappeared from this earth. When we say that Bishop 
White was one of our associates in colonization, we need ad- 
vance no additional fact or argument to confirm the wavering 
or to convert the unbeliever. 

Were the Board to designate those parts of the state in 
which the work of colonization is active, and carried on with 
liberality, it might be doing implied injustice to others, by 
making its knowledge the standard of feeling on the subject. 
It cannot, however, pass over in silence the results of a tempo- 
rary niisaion to Pittsburgh and its vicinity in the spring of last 



11 

year, by one of its member?, at his own expense. In a period 
of six weeks the bounty of the citizens of the western em- 
porium and of the towns of Washington, Brownsville and 
Uniontown, enabled him to place at the disposal of the Society 
the sum of about seven thousand dollars,* which came most 
seasonably to aid us in paying off the debt incurred for the 
relief expedition to Bassa Cove. In the present season, a 
visit of the same member to Harrisburgh, led to his address- 
ing the legislature there assembled, as he had done before 
in the spring, and disposing its members and the citizens, 
generally, in favor of colonization In Lancaster city and 
county, a determination has been recently evinced to engage 
actively in the good cause, by the formation of a Society, 
preliminary to liberal pecuniary contributions. Washington 
county, animated by the zealous and gratuitous labors of 
Professor Lee, and Dr. Reed, and Dauphin and Montgomery 
counties are intent on forwarding our measures. 

In this city, and the adjoining country, the Agent of the 
Society has been regularly engaged in enforcing and explain- 
ing the merits of the question by addresses from the pulpit on 
the Sabbath. The various details of correspondence and 
other business occupy his attention during the week. 

In order to record regularly the numerous and interesting 
facts and occurences which will constitute the history of colo- 
nization, and to extend the influence of brief and pertinent 
arguments in its support and illustration, the paper, which 
was commenced nearly two years ago by the Society, is still 
published. Some exertion by our friends through the state 
would give it (the Colonization Herald) a circulation com- 
mensurate with the importance of the topics, to the elucida- 
tion of which its columns are devoted. Its perusal would in- 
spire the timid with confidence and rouse the indifferent to 
exertion, by showing how great an amount of active and 
abiding good is done with limited means. The extent, and 
multifarious relations of colonization with the happiness of 
this continent, and the redemption from barbarism and idola- 



* Of this sum, 3300 dollars were in cash ; the remainder in subscription. 



12 

try of Africn, now and extensive branches of comnncrce, in- 
creased activity to the arts, cannot he well undeislood or ap- 
preciated unles^s l»y tlie perusal of a colonization journal. 

The benevolent eflbrts of individuals will not be the less 
valued nor be deemed the less necessary, because they will 
liave j)rej)ared the way for more extensive operations in the 
same course by the different states, perhaps by the government 
of the United States. Scarcely less glory will be theirs who 
first began this noble enterprise and who kept public atten- 
tion alive to its importance, than will be given to them who 
shall carry it on to its completion. He who contributes to 
the cause of colonization at this time, does great and imme- 
diate good in relieving a fellow man from thraldom and 
placing him in security in Africa ; but he ought also to re- 
flect that his present benevolence accelerates the eventual 
and entire emancipation of millions from slavery. Each 
citizen in this work, by a little well-timed liberality, will 
strengthen the hand of his neighbor, as they will be invigo- 
rated to the enterprise by a third. In this way, by progressive 
addition and persevering effort, all that is now barely hoped 
for can with certainty be accomphshed. Whoever refuses to 
act now, retards the consummation in a ratio which hereafter 
would startle and alarm a h.'^art of any sensibility. 

Already, in reference to the future destinies of the colonies 
on the western coast of Africa, and as a means of facilitating 
their progress in civil government, a plan for a federal union 
among them was prepared at the last annual meeting of the 
American Colonization Society, held in Washington. This 
will give a still wider range for the exercise of mind and an 
incitement to honorable ambition to tlic whole African race, 
on both sides of the Atlantic. The world vvill, henceforth, be 
able to judge of the conduct and character of those who pre- 
fer to s]>cnd their days supinely and in want, enslaved by law 
in one section of the I nited Slates and by still more powerful 
custom in another section, to their occupying a station and 
acfjuiriiig a name for tliemselves, and at the least a legal and 
constitutional protection for both themselves and their descend- 
ants in the land of their forefathers. 



13 

The Board, in conclusion, would state that arrangements 
have been made to elFcct a union between the Voun^ Men's 
Colonization Society and the Pennsylvania Colonization So- 
ciety, on such a footing that the principles and system of colo- 
nization of the former, which have met with such general ap- 
proval, shall be maintained and continued under the title and 
charter of the latter- 



SPEECH OF REV. DR. SKINNER 



Dr. Skijtneh, cx-govcrnor of Liberia, introduced the following resolution : 

Jit'.toh-ed, That the good which has already resulted from the establish- 
ment of colonics on the western coast of Africa, calls upon every individual 
engaged in this most benevolent enterprise, for the utmost gratitude to God ; 
whilst the magnitude of the enterprise, and the virtue and extent of good it 
is calculated to elfcct, makes it the duty of every patriot, of every philanthropist, 
and of every Christian in the union, to give it the aid of their influence, 
thoir prayers, and their contributions. 

In support of the resolution the Doctor remarked that there was much rea- 
son for gratitude to God for the great success which had already attended the 
elTorts of the colonizationists. Since these labors were commenced four 
thousand colored people have been colonized in Africa. Two thousand of 
the number were redeemed from actual slavery. If they had been permitted to 
remain in the United States, they would have been slaves as long as they 
lived, and their posterity must have been slaves also. In the colony they pos- 
sess every principle of civil liberty which the free citizen enjoys in the 
United States. They may all possess landed property ; there not being more 
than ten heads of families of those sent out who do not. Their condition, 
too, is infinitely superior to the free blacks of the United States. They are free- 
men, enjoying the blessings of their own enterprise and industry; and they 
arc uniformly moral, hapj)y, and contented. Of the 2,301 sent out by the as- 
sociation of the Parent Colonization Society, 700 arc professors of religion ; 
and, among the others, he never recollected more than one case of the use 
of profane language during his residence of 22 months in the colony. 

The colony at Liberia, in another point of view, must be looked at with 
great interest. It exerts a most happy inlluence upon the natives. Up to the 
period of the planting of the colonies, the practice was universal among the 
natives of offering human sacrifices : but, through the influence of example, 
and by the exertions that have been made, this aw/ul custom has been entire- 
ly abohshed in their vicinity. The character of the natives, too, in a reli- 
gious, moral, and political point of view, is operated upon with a benign in- 
fluence. They behold the spread of civilization among the colonists, and 
the incalculable benefits and blessings that ensue ; and, true to a law of na- 
ture, they express strong solicitude to learn the arts and partake of the innu- 
merable advantages of civilized society. Here do the patriot, philanthropist, 
and Christian, by aiding the efforts of the colonists, wield a mighty lever ^to 
bring Africa into the great lights of literature and sound philosophy. Thus, 
ultimately, shall Ethiopia stretch out her hands in gratitude to God for the 
universal spread of the blessed and eternal truths of the Christian religion, and 
the refinements of civilization. 

There is another consideration that makes it the duty of all, who believe 
the day will come when the light of Christianity and civilization shall reign 
throughout the earth, to aid the cause of colonization. It is the protection which 
the colonist« give to the missionary who goes forth astlie herald of the cross. 
Ut fore tiio planting of the colonies ilie missionary went out at the imminent 
hazard of his life. 'I'lio slavr traders looked upon him as inimical to their 
nefariouh traflic, and they ini iicd the natives against him by every means in 



15 

their power. He taught the pure principles of Christianity, and sought to 
enlighten the minds of those who were bowing beneath the yoke of idolatry 
in these darkened regions, and the slave dealer could not look uj)on his la- 
bors as favorable to his designs. He feared the lights of truth and know- 
ledge, and hence he persecuted the missonary. Some of the natives, too, 
who wished to favor the slave trader, looked upon him with great distrust. 
Some of the weaker tribes had even been the sport of the eu[iidity of the 
stronger. The strong would seize ujion the weak, drag Ihcni from their 
homes, sunder all the ties of consanguinity — husbands from wives, parents 
from children — to go into a distant land in perpetual slaver)', 'i'he le.«scr 
tribes now throw themselves beneath the influence of the colony ; and thus 
has a check been put over this dreadful traflic which nothing else could 
have accomplished. Now the missionary of the gospel has a secure foot- 
hold in Western Africa, and is peacefully dilfusing the benign influence of 
Christianity among the natives in those darkened regions. 

There is no other way in which Africa can be reclaimed from the thraldom 
under which she lies than by the cflects of colonization. Let the missionary 
labor be extended — let schools bo established as fast as called for, to educate 
native children ; and in fifty years the light of knowledge and science will 
shine in glory throughout this land of midnight darkness. 'J'here is a great 
anxiety among the natives for light. They are extremely desirous to be taught. 
They beg the missionary to teach thcni. They wish to learn our language 
and become acquainted with our manners and customs — to gain some know- 
ledge of our free institutions. And what Christian or phlanthropist will re- 
fuse to aid in so glorious a work, even if there were no other consideration to 
incite him onward ? 

Before the great light which is thus diffusing, the horrors of the slave trade 
shall finally vanish from the land. Nothing has been so cllcctual as these 
colonies. The slave dealers fear them. They stand up a mighty bulwark to 
protect the defenceless, and to stay the horrors of this awful trade. Many de- 
pots have been broken up by the colonists on the western coast of Africa. 
Hundreds of the natives would leave their homes and walk abroad, not an- 
ticipating molestation, when they were often gagged and bound hand and 
foot, and hurried on ship-board, to go away from friends and all the en- 
dearing scenes of childhood, into the bonds of slavery, in a distant land, or 
to die of some fatal pestilence in crossing the trackless deep. Whole vil- 
lages were rushed upon by the stronger party, and men, women, and chil- 
dren were seized — their dwellings burnt to ashes before their eyes — their old 
and infirm were killed, and infants had their brains dashed out in presence of 
their agonized mothers. But, thanks to God, who has so prospered the 
good labors of colonization, these accumulated horrors have received a 
check that demands] the deep-felt gratitude of every friend of humanity. 
Twenty colonies, he firmly behoved, would do more towards the ultimate 
extermination of this awful trade than could three times the amount of num- 
bers and resources employed in armed vessels stationed upon the coast, be- 
cause they would exert an influence in educating and subduing the natives 
which nothing else could secure. 

In the commencement of colonization there are always innumerable diffi- 
culties to encounter. In the locating of the colony at Monrovia we were 
unfortunate, as ill-health, to some extent, attended those sent out and disease 
carried others off. But there is one fact which should be mentioned. Among 
all the numbers which have been sent out by the parent society, (~;i01) since 
the colonizationists commenced their work, sixteen years ago, only 7;3."{ have 
died. Compare this with the bills of mortahty in any portion of our country, 
and it will be found to be much below them. The general average of death 



16 

iu one hair ihc popiilatiun in sixteen years, while the deaths among the colonists 
«ho\v only about :};} per cent, of the number of colonists. At liassa Cove the 
colonists are very healthy. 'I'he climate is line, and they have every thing that 
could be desired. 'I'hiTc is a noble field for their enterprise and industry, and 
in the pos ession of the blessings of civil, religious, and political righlb, they 
must become njuch more independent, ha])py, and contented, than they could 
ever be in the United States, even if made free. All that is now wanted is more 
meutin. There is a great and noble woik before us. Let the Christian, the 
philunthrojiist, ami the patriot, bring their olVerings to the altar — to spruad 
the light of religion, literature, and science — and the glorious work will 
be finally eonsuniinatcd, — when Ethiopia shall lift up her bands in glory 
among the redeemed nations of the earth, smiling beneath the blessings of 
human liberty, and the relincments of civilization. 



SPEECH OF REV. J.B. PINNEY. 

We can hy no means do justice to the excellent speech of Mr. Pinney, but 
avail ourselves of the following, which was taken down at the time by a 
friend. 

Rev. Mr. Pixney, who was likewise an ex-governor of Liberia, had been 
for several years a missionary on the western coast of Africa. He comjiared 
the unfavorable and contradictory reports which had been spread throughout 
this country in relation to the colonies of Liberia, with those which were 
brought by the sj)ics sent out by the twelve tribes of Israel. This he looked 
upon as an apt parallel. There was found to be about as much truth, on un- 
prejudiced investigation, in the one case as in the other. He had enjoyed 
every means of knowing not only the true condition of the colonies, but 
that of Africa also. The first ray of political liberty which shone upon this 
darkened land was diflused by the commencement of a colony in 1816. Ere 
this, universal darkness had brooded over the land. The government was 
an absolute despotism. Every individual was born either a slave or a king, 
and the ruling power put to death any subject at his will. There was no 
security to individual rights, and no protection to industry or enterprise. The 
planting of the lirst colony, like the immortal band of pilgrims who landed 
on Plymouth Kock, became the pioneer of civil liberty in that darkened 
region. They (loatcd aloft the banner of freedom — diflused the sound princi- 
ples of civil, religious, and political rights, and enkindled the light of liberty, 
which, he |)rayed God, might never be obscured till the whole of Africa should 
be redeemed from the bonds of ignorance and barbarism. 

The colonies that have been planted in Africa should be compared to 
the light which America is dillusiiig upon other nations of the earth. It 
has been well said that we arc trying the great experiment of self-government ; 
aye, an experiment which the world had never before seen tried. For more 
than half a century we have withstood all commotion, at home and abroad, 
that threatened to endanger the compact which came from the wisdom and 
patriotism of "the fathers of the revolution;" and the inlluence of this ex- 
ample upon nations groaning under the yoke of despotism, has shaken the 
thrones of tyranny, and broken the shackles of the opj)ressed. Look at tho 
Kjiirit of liberty which has been dilTused throughout Europe. The spark of 
liberty has been enkindled, 'i'hc sounds of tlio French revolution have but 
ju»t died upon the ear. All tho nations and princijialities are aroused, and the 
example of freedom on their shores will be the shining meteor to illume 



17 

them into the fold of liberty anil iiulcpendenco. So shall Africa bo reJeemed. 
Plant colonics all along the coast, roar school-houses, erect churches, and the 
children of the natives might be educated in the great truths of Christianity, 
and the pure principles of individual and political liberty ; and, in less than 
half a century would the whole of Africa be redeemed from the thraldom of 
barbarism. 'J'he people are open to instruction. He had travelled in their vil- 
lages, mingled with all classes, and he found the greatest difficulty to get away 
from them ; they were so solicitous that he should become their teacher. Tho 
kings bore a favorable ear. They wish their sons to learn, and this example 
is universal. In every village you enter, such had already been the attention of 
those who had found a chance to learn, that you could find inter|)reters. " I bo 
America man — I talk America — I talk your language" — is heard from many 
lips. And this is looked upon as a matter of great pleasure, and all arc very 
anxious to obtain a knowledge of "America and America people." 

It is astonishing to witness the influence of the colonies upon the natives. 
The natives look upon the colonists as a su[)erior race of beings, because 
they possess a knowledge of social and political rights, and enjoy the 
blessings of a political community, reaping the reward of their own industry 
and enterprise. They seek to gain from them all the knowledge they can — 
placing themselves under the influence of their example, when circumstances 
will permit it. There is, perhaps, as much diflerence between the colonists and 
natives, in point of comparative intelligence, as there is between the whites 
and blacks of this country ; and they feel about as much repugnance to in- 
termarry with them, before they are brought under the influence of the pri- 
vileges of the colonies, as would the whites to intermarry with the blacks of 
our own land. Such is the darkness, barbarity, and ignorance upon which 
the Christian and philanthropist are called to operate ; and no field presents 
a more certain return of expansive benevolence. Nothing but the salt of 
civil liberty can save Africa, and it must be sent through the great efforts 
of colonization. 

As an illustration of what may be done among the natives, he mentioned 
the 300 slaves who were sent back by the Supreme Court of the United 
States, taken from a slave vessel, 12 years ago. They were then savages 
in utter barbarism ; but they were placed beneath the benefits of the colony, . 
and, step by step, they were improved, until now they are the owners of 
their own lots, live in a village by themselves, and enjoy the blessings of free- 
dom, and partake of all the benefits of social and moral privileges. 

Before he went to Africa he had heard such terrific accounts of its swamps, 
and pestilential atmosphere, that he was not a little alarmed upon his passage. 
He had read Johnson upon tropical fever, who gave a most awful account of 
its ravages in the swamps and marshes ; but when he planted his feet upon the 
shores, and became acquainted with the face of the country, he was prepared 
to say that, so imperfect is that author's account, that he never could have been 
in Africa, nor had he seen an intelligent individual who had. Upon the sea 
coast there is some low land, but from Cape Mount to Cape Palmas the 
country is as hilly and undulating as that of New-England. There are very 
few swamps indeed. There are three streams about as large as the Delaware 
that make through the hills of the interior to the sea coast. As you recede 
from these and go to the hills, there is no miasma. The only unhealthy part 
is directly on the coast, and it seems to be particularly unfortunate that the 
original colony (Monrovia) should have been planted at this very part. 

It had been well remarked that the colonies were of incalculable importance 
both in protecting the missionary, and in crowding out the slave-trader. 
The slave-trader had indeed been lord of the dominion ; he swayed a potert 
power upon tho great theatre of crime and horror. He had reigned in undis- 



1« 

pQlcJ siipremncy lor upwards of two liundrcd yiars, making a markctuMc corn- 
inodily of his fellow-creatures under all the horrors of unrestrained cupidity 
and merciless violence. If a feelile voke was now and then heard to utter its 
faint accents against this awful Iraflic it was immediately suppressed, even if 
the individual did not at once fail a sacrifice to its merciless resentment. It 
is said that when Lander went through the trackless desert, after burying Clap- 
pcrton, a Portuguese slave-trader administered poison in his drink, out of fear 
that he would excite the natives against the slave-trade. But, by a fortunate 
chance, the traveller discovered the attempt upon his life in time to swallow a 
strong antidote to counteract tlic ellect of the poison. A slave establishment 
upon the coast was broken up by the influence of a vessel of the colonies. 
Three months afterwards, it wont to sea, and for four years neither vessel nor 
crew has been heard of ! 

'J'here is (said Mr. P.) blood upon our country. We are apt to throw all 
the blame of slavery upon the south. But our whole country owes the debt of 
slavery. Let all, then, unite in the great work of redemption. If proper efforts 
are made 50,000 blacks may be colonized in Africa in five years, and at the ratio 
of those who have fallen under the blessed inlhiencc of Christianity in the colo- 
nies, 10,000 at least would be Christians, and 100 preachers. What a mighty 
instrument this would be towards subduing Africa to the light of civilization. 

The natives arc docile. They live in their mud huts, and hail the ap- 
proach of the missionary with indescribable joy. They receive his teachings^ 
and beg for his presence. Upwards of 1400 natives, perfect savages ten years 
ago, have been brought under the subduing and benign influence of the co- 
lonies. They have a delightful climate, occupy a soil of wonderful exuber- 
ance, and enjoy the reward of their industry and entcrjirisc ; smiling beneath 
the exalted privileges of freemen and shedding a right influence over the 
natives around them. It is thus that in less than half a century may the whole 
of Africa, withher fifty millions of people, be subdued. And bowing beneath the 
holy influence of Christianity, literature, science and the arts, will she raise one 
universal peal for redemption from the bonds of ignorance, superstition and 
idolatry ! 



EXTRACTS FROxM THE REPORT 

OP TUE AIANAGEns TO THE AMEUICAIf COLOXI ZATIO Jf SOCIETT, AT ITS 
TWENTIETH ANKUAL MEETISO. 

In submitting to the Society a concise statement of their proceedings during 
the year, the managers commence with an account of expeditions. 

EXPEDITIONS. 

The Brigl,una, Capt. Bcars.having on board eighty emigrants and two recap- 
tured African children, under the care of the United States government, with lib- 
eral supplies of provisions, agricultural implements and trade goods, sailed from- 
IS'orfolk, \irginia, on the third of March, and completed her voyage on the 7th 
of A|)ril. Of these emigrants forty-four were manumitted on the condition of 
colonization, by the will of the late Ccneral Blackburn of Staunton, A''irginia, 
seven by the late Rev. John Allemong ; and five by the late Mrs. Washington 
of Frederick county, Va. ; while four were emancipated by the Kcv. C. W. An- 
drews of Frederick county ; six by the late Jcdilcdiah Atkinson of Petersburgh ; 
■even by Thomas S. King, Ksfp, of Portsmouth ; one by .Mr. Davidson of Char- 
lolli! county ; one by Mr. S. O. Moon of .Albemarle county, Virginia ; and two by 
.M. A. .M'.Ncill of Mecklenburg, North Carohna. Several others were free persons 



10 

of color from Norfolk. A number lliat was cxpoctcil (as stated in llie Insl 
report) failed to embark in this expedition. Most of this company were 
young men, several of thom preachers of the gospel, and one a minister and 
missionary of the Methodist Church, the Rev. Beverly K. Wilson, well-known 
to many of our countrymen as liavinp;, after a visit and examination of the 
colony during fourteen months, returned to the United States for the purpose 
of concluding a final settlement of his allairs in Virginia and removing with 
his entire family to Liberia. His statements concerning the colony, made in 
sundry places and before large audiences in the northern and middle states, con- 
vinced many that the scheme of African Colonization merited their decided and 
earnest support. The clfects of these impressive statements were manifest at 
the time, and, we doubt not, will be permanent. 

The Schooner Swift left New-Orleans on the 28th of April with forty-three 
t'migrants, recently emancipated, mostly from the State of Mississippi, and ar- 
rived (after a long passage of 4G days) at Monrovia on the 7th of July. 
Among these were about twenty slaves, liberated for colonization by Edward 
B. Randolph, of Lowndes county, Mississippi. The expenses of this expedi- 
tion were paid by the Mississippi Colonization Society, assisted by an advance 
of $2500 by the liberal executor (James Railey, Esq.) of the estate of the 
late James Green, by whose will provision was made for the manumission of 
a part of his slaves (26 in number, whose removal to the colony was men 
tioned in the last report) and the application of a generous portion of his 
large estate to aid the object of the Society. A majority of these emigrants 
were young, accustomed to labor in the plantations in the South, and well fur- 
nished with the utensils and stores necessary to a comfortable settlement, and 
the successful cultivation of the soil in the colony. They are represented as 
intelligent, moral and indutrious, several of them adorning by their lives their 
professions of Christian faith, and all as inclined before their departure from 
our shores to organize themselves into a temperance society on the principle of 
.total abstinence from ardent spirits. 

The emigrants by the Luna were landed at Monrovia, but subsequently re- 
moved to a new settlement on the Junk river called Marshall, after the late 
Chief Justice of the United States. The managers regret to add that, soon 
after their arrival, the fever of the country prevailed among these emigrants 
and that several of them fell victims to the disease. 

The company by the Swift proceeded forthwith to Millsburg, about twenty 
miles from the coast, on the river St. Paul's, a settlement enjoying great advan- 
tages for health and agricultural pursuits. 

A select company of emigrants is now preparing to sail in the Brig Rondout, 
chartered by the Society from Wilmington, North Carolina. These people are 
from North Carolina, and among those from the latter State is Lewis Sheri- 
dan, a free man of color of respectability, education and property, who goes, 
accompanied by his family and a number of his relatives, with the means and 
the view of devoting his time and exertions to the development and improve- 
ment of the agricultural resources of Liberia. 

There will, also, go in this vessel, eighteen colored persons, consisting of 
men, women, and children, late the property of Dr. Shuman, of Stokes coun- 
ty, North Carolina, who not only generously manumitted them that they might 
go to Africa, but also gave them one thousand dollars in money, to be employ- 
ed in their comfortable establishment in the colony of Liberia. 

The Brig Luna, Capt. Hallet, with eighty-four emigrants, fifty of whom 
were slaves recently liberated (on condition of their removing to the colony) 
in Kentucky and Tennessee, sailed from New-York on the 5th of July, and 
arrived at Monrovia on the 19th of August. This expedition was fitted out 
under the direction of the Auxiliary Colonization Society of New- York cily ; 



20 

anil t^ie omigrnnts proceeded forthwith to the Bettlcraent founded by the joint 
endcuvorii of that Society and the Youn;? Men's Auxiliary Society of Penn- 
Fvlvania, at Hasta C'ovo. Of Uiokc who lihcratfJ slaves that they niifrht em- 
1 ark in this vessel .Mr. G. W. M'Elroy, the zealous and .successful .Agent of the 
IS'cv^■-Vork Society, who was employed for several weeks in collecting these 
lilaves, and other emiarants together, and conducting thcin to the port of em- 
barkation, records the following names, with the number manumitted by each. 
From Kentucky — .Mr. Mark.s, one ; George Hailen, Esq., eleven ; Thomas 
Hopkins, Esq., six ; Benjamin .Major, Esq., eleven ; Colonel Andrew Muidrow, 
ten. From Tennessee — Mr. .Andrew Donelson, eleven ; Mr. Peter Fisher, six. 
It is to be regretted that the inlluence of the enemies of the Society at Pitts- 
burgh %vas sullicicntly powerful to induce fourteen of these slaves, liberate. 1 by 
Messrs. Doncl>on and Fisher, to leave the company on their way to New-York, 
although eight liundred dollars hail been placed at the disposal of the Agent 
for the benefit of those of Mr. Donelson after their arrival in the colony, and 
four hundred for those of Mr. Fisher. Of tliis company nearly all were mem- 
bers of a temperance society, most of them were by profession Christians, 
and several preachers of the gospel. When about to embark, in reply to an ad- 
dress by the Secretary of the New-York Society, and the encouraging remarks of 
other friends of the cause, the Rev. Mr. Hening, a colored Methodist missionary, 
who accompanied the exjjedition, responded in behalf of the colonists in a very 
pertinent and impressive manner. "lie declared himself indebled to the Co- 
lonization Society for his personal freedom, having been manumitted for the 
jjurpose of going to Liberia by his humane master in Virginia. He had been 
to the colony, and after making his observations and laboring for a time as a 
]ireacher of the gospel, both among the colonists and the natives, had re- 
turned to the United States to improve his education and qualify himself for 
more extensive usefulness. Having for two years past pursued his studies at 
the Weslcyan Academy in Wilhraham, Mass., and other parts of New-Eng- 
land, he was about to return and spend his life in the colony, proclaiming the 
unsearchable riches of Christ on the shores of .Africa. He expressed his 
heartfelt gratitude for the kindness and sympathy he had experienced, and es- 
pecially for the interest then manifested in the welfare of those with whom he 
was about to take his departure, and in conclusion offered a fervent address to 
the throne of grace, which (remarks one who was present) melted all hearts 
and gave evidence of bis high qualifications for usefulness in the field to which 
lie is devoted. 

Mr. James B. Hcrron, a citizen of Nicholasvillc, Kentuckj', much interested 
in the welfare of the people of color and the success of their colonies in Afri- 
ca, took passage in the Luna, resolved even without compensation to visit and 
examine for himself the condition and prospects of those settlements. 

C0>M)1TI0N ANU ACniCULTUnE OF THE COLONT. 

Although the number of api>licants to the Society for the means of removal 
ti) Liberia continues to be great, the managers have sought ratlicr to improve 
the condition than increase the numbers of the colony. They regret that 
causes, unexiiectcd and beyond their control, have delayed the execution of 
8)ine im{)ortunt measures and cherished purposes. Several vessels, which were 
directed to touch at the Cajje dc Venls ami convey thence to the colony a number 
of mule.s and other animals, have failed to elfect the object. The captain of the 
brig, about to sail from North Carolina, is instructed to neglect no means of in- 
troducing these animals into the colony, 'i'lie ill health of the Colonial Agent 
iiM(l his multiplied cares and labors have not i)crniitted him to devote the time 
anil thought to a'.;riciillur.il i:n|iroveinents which were demanded by the obvious 



21 

connexion of sTiCh improvements with the health, iiKlustry, nml general pros- 
perity of the colonists. The public farm and workshops, which are intended 
to give employment and support to the infirm and de^titnle, hnvo not hern 
opiMied, nor a superintendent of agriculture apppointi'd. Tlic nianacjers are 
assured, however, from the he.st sources, that on the sulij^^ct of agriculture a 
new spirit animiitos the settlers ; tiiat it prevails throughout the colony ; that 
this interest is regarded as one in which the well-heing of the jieople is involv- 
ed ; that those who have funds refuse to engage in trade, and are resolved to 
apply all their means to advance tiiis interest; and, finally, that should the co- 
lonists exhibit the same zeal and energy in the cultivation of the soil during the 
future as during the last year, a short lime only will elapse before the rich pro- 
ducts of tropical agriculture will be exported from the colony. " We have 
often declared," says the intelligent editor of the Liberia Herald, and we re- 
peat the assertion, "that no reasonable man can desire greater facilities for an 
honorable living than are to be found in this country. The principal articles 
that are in foreign demand, if not indigenous to the country, are found springing 
up spontaneously through our mountains, hills, and valleys. Millions of cotlee 
trees of sufilcicnt sizes and age may be gathered from the woods between this 
and Junk; we know from ex])eriment that they will bear in three years from 
the time of transplantation ; so that a man who will commence with spirit and 
set out 15 or 20 thousand plants, may calculate, with a good degree of certain- 
ty, on a large quantity of colTee in three years from the time he commences 
operation." " It is," he very justly adds, " absolutely a disgrace to us to have to 
inquire of foreigners when they arrive,' Have you any coHee !' or ' can you spare 
me a little sugar V It must give them a most unfavorable opinion of our good 
sense and industry, when they hear that the trees and plants that produce 
these articles are scattered with a liberal profusion through our woods, almost 
within our very doors." 

TESTIMONT CONCEllNIJfG THE COLONY. 

Of the general aspect and state of things in the colony, the managers have 
nothing of very special interest to communicate since the last year. Thomas 
H. Buchanan, Esq., commissioned by the New-York and Philadelphia Socie- 
ties to superintend their settlement and concerns at Bassa Cove, on his arrival 
in the colony at the commencement of the year, writes : 

" I find a state of things here altogether better than I had ever anticipated, 
even when trying to imagine the brightest side of the picture ; but, with 
my present imperfect ability to detect thd errors of first impressions, shall 
withhold the remarks which my feelings would prompt. I visited New-Geor- 
gia, Cape Town and Caldwell on Tuesday last. With all these towns I was 
much pleased, but this term is too feeble entirely to convey the delightful emo- 
tions excited by the appearance of things in the two first named villages, which 
are the residences of the recaptured Africans. Imagine to yourself a level 
plain of some two or three hundred acres, laid off into square blocks, with 
streets intersecting each other at right angles, as smooth and clear as the best 
swept side-walk in Philadelphia, and lined with well planted hedges of cassada 
and plum ; houses surrounded with gardens, luxuriant with fruit and vegeta- 
bles ; a schoolhouse full of orderly children, neatly dressed and studiously en- 
gaged ; and then say whether I was guilty of extravagance in exclaiming, as I 
did, after surveying this most lovely scene, that, had the Colonization Society 
accomplished nothing more than had been done in the rescue from slavery and 
savage habits of these three hundred happy people, I should be well satisfied." 
Again he remarks, " Liberia far exceeds, in almost every respect, all that I had 
ever imagined of her — nothing is wanted, I am persuaded, but a better system 
of agriculture, and the permanent establishment of schools, to bring the peo- 



pie of I.ilrcria nt n vrry curly ilay to tlic very liiglicst point of the scale of in- 
tcllt'cluiii ri'fiiicnieiit niid political coiisctjuciico." 

'J'hc Rev. Uevorly H. Wilson, (whose name has been already mentioned) 
ueider date of April '^r)ih,%vrites : " ^V'll(M^ I was in the United States, I said many 
thinijs in favor of the colony; luit I find liiat I said not half enough. Here is 
our home, the colony is in good health, rarniini? is going on well, and all is 
quiet at this time. Many of the farmers from Mississippi are doing well and 
think they will be able to ship produce from here to the United States in 
less than three years; they are much engaged in their present crops. There 
is no doubt but we shall do well here. For my own part, I have never been 
so perfectly contented with my own situation in all my life. I am now at 
home." 

David Moore, a very intelligent emigrant from Mississippi, under date of 
the ~.")th of Ajiril, writes to ihc Kev, Mr. Butler of Port Ciibson : " I am glad 
to inform you that myself and family arc well, and generally have enjoyed .is 
good if not belter health than in the United States ; indeed our expedition has 
suffered very little with the fever of the climate, and the proportion of deaths 
has been less than if wc were in America. I assure you, Kev. Sir, that I do 
truly thank God and my kind friends who directed my feet to this land of li- 
berty with its conconntant l)lessings. We have, although, a few privations 
to undergo, many of nature's blessings, and I expect in a few years to be able 
to say that we do then live in a land of unrivalled plenty and luxury." 

James Brown, a worthy freenan of color from this city, who has resided 
about two years in the colony, under date of July 27th, writes: "I say 
now, as I have in former letters, and with more experience too, that nothing is 
required but proper management to make this one of the most desirable and 
happy places in the world. Wlien I view the natural advantages of Liberia, 
I am ready to saj', surely the benevolent God of nature intended it a happy 
asylum for the returning sons of Africa, and therefore the natural advantages 
of this country arc more than would compensate them for their trouble in for- 
mer days." 

LAXD runciiASKD. 
Two valuable tracts of land have been added to the territory of the colony 
during the year. 'I'he lirst, a small tract, in the neighborhood of Edi- 
na, and on the margin of the bay that forms the outlet of St. John's river, was 
purchased of a native chief named Bob Gray, a faithful ally of the colony, 
who desires that the children of his tril)e may learn the language and customs 
of the settlers. Between Edina and Bob CJray's town is a l)eautiful hill, on 
which, with permission of the Society, the Baj)tist missionaries propose to 
found a mission school, on the manual labor plan, that may aflbrd instruction 
both to the children of the native town and Edinn. The second tract is near 
the mouth of Junk river, and embraces the very eligible spot upon which 
stands the village or town of Marshall. This tract had been bought by tho 
former agent, .Mr. Pinney ; but the validity of the title granted to the Society 
was not acknowledged by the Junk people ; and it was thought best to con- 
clude negotiations which will prevent all dillerencc and contentions in future 
between the colonists and the native inhabitants. 

mahsiiall. 
Marshall stands upon an o|)cn, cleared, and rising plot of ground, between 
tlic two rivers Junk and J{ed Junk, distant at least three miles from any Man- 
grove swamps, or other sources of disease, and fanned by the uncontaminated 
brcezcH of the ocean that rolls its waves upon its beach. A few houses were 
creeled here two )ears ago by Mr. I'inney. A town of more than a mile 



23 

square was laid off in 392 lots timing the last sprinyr, and a nuniljcr of the co- 
lonists and recaptured Africans removed thither, and commenced the construc- 
tion of houses and the cultivation of the soil. " 'J'hero cannot he," says Dr. 
iSkinncr, " a healthy situation in any tropical climate if this is not one. I 
should not have the least fear, had I a convenient house at Marshall, to bring 
out the remainder of my family, or to take under my care at that place any 
American for acclimation." 

CAPE PALMAS. 

The colony of Cape Palmas, founded hy the State Colonization Society of 
Maryland, aided by the generous ap[)ro[)riation of the legislature of that State, 
continues to prosper. From the origin of its enterprise in 1833, this Society 
has sent to Africa seven expeditions, containing in all about three hundred 
emigrants. The village of Harper contains about twenty-five private houses 
and several public buildings ; a public farm of ten acres has been in part clear- 
ed ; about thirty acres have been put in cultivation by the colonists ; their in- 
fluence on the natives is salutary ; schools have been established and prosper, 
and the people are pronounced by the late intelligent governor, Dr. Hall, moral, 
industrious, religious and happy. This gentleman has resigned his office, and 
J. B. Russwurm, late a citizen of Monrovia, has been appointed to the station. 

MISSION IXTO THE INTEHIOn. 

Allusion was made in the last report to the appointment of certain commis- 
sioners, by the colonial government, to proceed into the interior as far as Ba 
Poro, the residence of King Boatswain, for the purpose of negotiating a peace 
between certain hostile tribes, and opening a friendly and mutually advan- 
tageous intercourse with the people of that region. D. W. Whitehurst, one 
of these commissioners, visited the United States a few months ago, and made 
report to the managers of his observations during his absence of four months 
from the colony. The commissioners resided at Bo Poro, (distant from 80 
to 100 miles from Monrovia) several weeks, and though they failed, owing 
to the very disturbed state of the country, to effect the main object, they ac- 
quired information of great value, which, in the journal of Mr. Whitehurst, 
is already before the public. They passed through a fertile and beautiful country, 
upon which were scattered numerous fortified native towns, inhabited by a savage 
but active and industrious people, and abounding in the productions of tro- 
pical agriculture. Of a town within eight miles of Bo Poro, Mr. Whitehurst 
writes, "Every thing conspires to render this spot desirable for human happi- 
ness, if the propensity for war which the people have could be gotten over ; 
but as it is, every thing is secondary to the grand object of conquest or capture. 
Groups of cheerful beings were passed through, either planting or grubbing, 
while at the towns the women were generally employed in spinning cotton. 
Cotton grows abundant throughout the country, and every town is furnished, 
more or less, with the apparatus for dyeing and weaving. The sugar cane too we 
observed frequently, while the plantain and bananna were in the greatest pro- 
fusion. The first notice, at times, that we would have of our proximity to a town, 
would be the dense and beautiful foliage of those trees, giving us notice of 
human habitations. We approached Talma through beautiful walks of lofty 
and magnificent trees, very thickly interspersed with those of camwood, whose 
fragrant blossoms imparted delightful aroma to the atmosphere. He remarks, 
" The situation of Bo Poro is very obscure, being located in a valley formed by 
a chain of double mountains, completely encircling it and giving to their ele- 
vation a remarkable similitude to the seats of a theatre. The scenery by 
which the town is surrounded, is magnificently grand; as far as the eye can 
see, you discern mountain towering above mountain until they are lost in the 



24 

dist.Aiu-e'. 'J'lie cliaiii runs regularly for some niilos, tl)cn a portion more lofty 
thim the rest towers aloft, whilst froni hase to suiiitiiit the eye can behold but 
Olio ex[>ansp of the preenest foliage. 'J'he land then assumes a gentle acclivi- 
ly, and its increasing altitude soon raises it upon an elevation with other promi- 
nences, until the whole assumes the a|)pearance of one continuous chain. 
Here, perhaps, the eye is met by a portion under cultivation, whilst there a 
path is ilistinctly visible leading to regions beyond. At their base is to be seen 
the plantain, the sure evidence of the habitation of hun)an beings, whilst from 
their shade will be seen ascending sMioko from iheir various fires. On their 
summit the eye catches the outline of a distant town, whilst a barricaded 
one is more distinctly visible. Upon the whole, the scenery is more 
magnificent than any that I remember having seen, and it is to me a matter of 
great regret that I am unable to sketch what was most vividly impressed upon 
my mind." 

But amid these scenes, so adorned and enriched by the hand of nature, and 
where the useful arts are not wholly unknown, men are the victims of the 
worst superstition and vice. By the slave-trade they have been rendered more 
implacable foes to each other than are the leopards of their forests, and even can- 
nibalism: a crime not against reason and the moral sense alone, but revolting even 
to instinct, exists among them. 

WARS ANn THK SLAVE-TRADE. 

Native wars (as we have already mentioned) have raged during the year 
among numerous tribes, and along a great extent of the African coast. They 
have their origin mostly in the slave-trade, which, to the reproach of Christen- 
dom, no means yet einploycd have been ade(iuate to suppress. The govern- 
ments of England and France, in the year 1831, conceded to each other the 
mutual right of search within certain geographical limits, for the suppression of 
the slave-trade, and resolved mutually to aid each other, and to use their best en- 
deavors to induce the other powers of Europe to agree to the terms of their con- 
vention. Endeavors have been made to secure from Brazil, the Netherlands, 
Sweden, Portugal, and Spain, between whom and Great Britain treaties for the 
suppression of the slave-trade had before existed, an agreement in all the articles 
of this convention ; and " to all the other powers of Europe, (says the Edinburgh 
Review,) and to the United States, France and England, conjointly have made 
the strongest representations on the subject, and urged them, by every considera- 
tion of justice, humanity and policy, to make a combined and simultaneous ef- 
fort for at once annihilating what they themselves twenty years before denounced 
as the curse of Africa, and the disgrace of Europe." Denmark and Sardinia have 
agreed to the convention. Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden have not de- 
clared their judgments on the subject. Prussia, liussiaand Naples seem unde- 
cided. Brazil states that when the Portuguese trade shall cease, slaves will no 
longer be brought to her shores. Portugal evades the question.* Spain enters 
into u treaty which extends the right of search even beyond the limits prescribed 
by the convention with France, provides for the punisliment of those engaged in 
the traflic, fur the coiulemnation of the vessels, and for delivery of the recaptured 
Africans to British authorities. This treaty leaves the suppression of the trade 
mostly to the activity of England ; and the number of Sjianish vessels cap- 
tured, under the new treaty, and sent into Sierra Leone for adjudication, has 
greatly increased. It is said that our own country has returned to the proposi- 
tion of France and England a negative answer. We know not the reasons 



• A treaty between dreal Uritaiii and Poi iiigal ha;* jiiat been concUuled for the 
•uppreMiuii ol the »luvc-trnde. 



25 

upon which this answer is founded, but if, as we euppoac, they relate to tho 
right of search, although by the convention it exists but within narrow limits 
for one definite object, and is guarded by express stipulations, we trust that a 
nation the first to adopt measures for the suppression of that trade, the first to 
denounce it by statute as piracy, will not fail to do what may be necessary to 
prevent her own flag of freedom from covering this detestable commerce ; that 
she will at least exert all her influence with Christian nation.-;, that by com- 
mon consent the slave-trade may be known and punished as piracy by the 
laws of the whole civilized world. 

The colonies planted by England, and by citizens of the United States, on 
the western coast of Africa, have done much to expel this trafTic from their 
neighborhood. " It is a fact," says the editor of the Liberia Herald, " known to 
all who have made any inquiries on the subject, that there is not a regular 
slaving establishment to the windward of Sierra Leone, nearer than the Rio 
Pongas ; nor is there in the Rio Pongas, as far as we can learn, an establish- 
ed market for the avowed purpose. Vessels casually purchase slaves there, 
but there is no regular market for the purpose. Nor is there to the leeward of 
Sierra Leone, nearer than theGallenas a regular slaving establishment. Here, 
there is an extent of coast of 120 miles cleared of the scourge by the influ- 
ence of one settlement alone. Gallenas is the only slaving establishment hc- 
tween this and Sierra Leone ; and, to the leeward of us, there is none nearer 
than Bassa." According to this, from an extent of coast of 360 miles, this 
trade has been nearly extirpated by the the influence of colonies, and this a 
region which it is said was visited formerly, by a greater number of vessels en- 
gaged in that trade, than now touch there for the purpose of legitimate com- 
merce. 

MEDICAL DEPARTMENT. 

David Francis Bacon, M. D., a young gentleman of high scientific attain- 
ments and estimable character, has very recently been appointed principal co- 
lonial physician, and is about to embark for Liberia. He is accompanied by Dr. 
Wm. H. Taylor, educated to the medical profession at the expense of this 
boa>rd, and in whose good sense and general capacity and integrity, they have 
entire confidence. 

EDUCATION SOCIETT. 

In the course of last summer a Society of young men was organized in the 
city of New-York, to promote education in Africa, and especially to 
found, on some eligible spot in Liberia, and adequately to endow an 
institution of learning of high character. This Society has already receiv- 
ed pledges of support to the amount of about thirty thousand dollars, and does 
not doubt that the means of establishing such an institution on broad and per- 
manent foundations, will speedily be secured. The design of this Society is 
not Hmited to the establishment of a single seminary, but embraces the whole 
subject of education for Africa, and proposes to intrust the funds it may col- 
lect, and the duties of general superintendence over its schools and colleges in 
Africa, to a board of trustees, constituted of individuals, selected, for their 
high character and wisdom, from different portions of the union. 

secretary's VISIT TO THE SOUTHWEST. 

With the view of disposing of the remaining interest in the estate of the 
late Mr. Ireland of New Orleans ; of ascertaining the condition of several le- 
gacies recently left to the Society in the states of Mississippi and Louisiana ; of 
conferring with the officers of auxihary Societies, especially of state Societies, 
on various questions of interest to the cause ; and of securing from such as- 
sociations, and from the liberality of individuals, pecuniary aid ; and, finally, 

D 



26 

of comniunicnting such information to t)ie citizens of the fcvcral places he 
uhoiilJ visit, in regard to the stale and proFpccL-s of the colonv of Liberia, as 
niit'lit conlirm the confiilenrc and increase tlic number of the friends of colo- 
nization; tlic t^'ccretary of the Society, under the instructions of the board, 
was cuijai^ed in a tour, from A|'ril to tictober, in the southwestern states. The 
ntate Societies of Kentucky. .Mississippi, and Louisiana, expressed their de- 
cided and ardent attachment to tlie parent institution, and tlicir purpose vigor- 
ously and generously to sustain its operations. Tiie managers of the Ken- 
tuckv Society suggested that cflbrts should be made, in concert by the several 
state .Societies, to relieve the parent Society from embarrassment, and in this 
opinion the committee of the Mississippi Society fully concurred. Both in 
Natchez and New Orleans, he experienced the kindest attentions, and 
found that many of their wealthy citizens were the friends and benefactors of 
the Society. 

Among the unsold portions of the estate bequeathed by the late Mr. Ireland 
of New Orleans, to this Society, in joint connexion with the two Asylums 
for Orphan Children in that city, was a valuable square of ground in Faux- 
burg Lafayette, which, with the consent of the representatives of these asy- 
lums, was sold at public auction for $18,500. Though the managers regard 
this sale as entirely fair and unexceptionable, yet, through some misunderstand- 
ing it is to be presumed, an objection has been urged against it by the gentle- 
men intrusted with the interests of the Eoys' Asylum, in courtesy to whom, 
and to prevent even a feeling of uncharitableness in the disposal of this pro- 
perty, devoted to charity, the board have consented that it should be resold. It is 
worthy of remark that, as this property is to be sold on a credit of one, two 
and three years, it was generously proposed by the gentleman acting in behalf 
of the asylums, that the amount which might become due the first year should 
be paid over to this Society. 

It will be recollected that, by the will of Mr. Green, a number of his slaves 
were liberated, and a portion of his estate left in trust of Mr. Railey, Mrs. 
Railey, and Jlrs. Wood, (the last two sisters of Mr. Green,) with requests, 
both verbal and written, that it should be applied (unless their judgment dictat- 
ed otherwise) to the emancipation and colonization of slaves from Mississippi 
in Liberia. The slaves emancipated by Mr. Green have already been sent by 
his executors to the colony, at an expense, including the anrple supplies fur- 
nished them of about 57,000. The secretary was informed bj' Mr. Railey, 
that, although in the opinion of some, the executors would be clearly discharg- 
ed from the trust reposed in them, by the further approjiriation of §20,000, in 
fulfdment of the benevolent designs of Mr. Green, they had resolved to make 
the amount $25,000. It is expected that this sum will in the course of a few 
months be ready to bo ap[>lied to the ohjects to which it is devoted. As the 
whole matter in regard to this legacy is left to the discretion of the executors, 
the cheerfulness and promptitude with which they have resolved to carry into 
full ciTect the charitable purposes of the testator cannot be too highly appre- 
ciated. 

At Prospect Hill, nine miles from Port Gibson, Mississippi, the seat of the 
late Capt. Ross, the secretary had the jilcasure of conferring witii his very in- 
telligent and high-minded daughter, Mrs. Reed, on the subject of the great and 
humane jiurposes contemplated in the testament of her venerated father. The 
provisions of the will of t'ai)t. Ross are before the public. The will directs 
that, uhould his slaves choose to emigrate to Liberia, his entire estate, alter de- 
ducting some small legacies, shall be sold, and and the proceeds thereof ap- 
plied to their benefit in Africa, But that, should they decline to go to Libe- 
ria, they, together with the estate, shall be disposed of, and the proceeds be a 
permanent fund intrusted to the Coloniziilion Society, the interest of which 
■hall be applied to establish and support a literary institution in the colony. 



'.r/ 

Every lliing posssiblc may hv exjjt-cU'tl iVijui tho Licnevwlcnt views ol Mrs. Keed 
towords carrying into speedy oUcct this will, prepared as she is to make any 
sacrifice of her personal feelings to the cause of humanity and duty. It is be- 
lieved that the rchitives of the deceased, generally, concur in the sentiments 
of Mrs. Keed, and that the executors of the estate will discharge their high 
responsibilities with fidelity and success. This will involvi-s great interests. 
Capt. Ross was a remarkable man, distinguished for energy, integrity, and be- 
nevolence. His slaves are mostly disconnected from those on other plantations, 
and therefore constitute one great family of about one hundred and seventy in 
number, who have enjoyed almost parental care and kindness. To render 
them happy appears to have been the great object of their master. For seve- 
ral years before liis death, Capt. Ross, though a skilful manager of his estate, 
made no attempt to add to his capital, but developed and applied his resources 
to increase the comforts of his people. These people are moral, sober and in- 
dustrious. The income of the estate is estimated at $20,000 per annum. 

Mr. Isaac Ross, (now deceased,) a worthy son of Capt. Isaac Ross, directed by 
his will that ihe slaves on one of his estates should be placed at the disposal 
of the Colonization Society, that they might be removed to Liberia ; and a 
similar provision was made in regard to all his slaves of a suitable age by the 
late Drury W. Brazeale, of Claiborne county, Miss., who directed further that 
the}' should be supplied from his estate with the articles necessary for their 
comfortable settlement in Africa. 

A large bequest (estimated at nearly thirty thousand dollars) has been left to 
the Society by the will of the late Hasten M. Childers, of Carrol county, 
Louisiana. It is said there is a legal defect in the execution of this will ; yet 
the estimable and generous character of Mrs. Childers will, it is presumed, for- 
bid, if possible, that a mere informality should defeat the ends of justice and 
humanity. 

At Louisville, Frankfort, Lexington, Shelby ville, HaiTodsburg, and Versailles, 
public meetings were held ; gentlemen of talents and influence came forward 
to advocate colonization, and resolutions were passed, without a dissenting 
voice, declaring the plan of the Society worthy of state and national patron- 
age, and that it was expedient for the friends of this plan in Kentucky to 
submit the question therein involved at an early day, by memorials to the 
Legislature of their states, and to the Congress of the United States. 
Societies, in several cases, were reorganized, men of all political and re- 
ligious creeds, and of every class and profession, were united in the 
opinion that the scheme of African colonization merited support ; that it was 
a scheme of such magnitude and utility, and practicableness, as to demand for 
its execution the combined means and powers of the state and federal govern- 
ments. Such is the opinion in Kentucky of those who fill with honor her 
highest offices, legislative and judicial, in the state, and of those who represent 
her with such ability and eloquence in the national councils. 

Though the season of the year was unfavorable to raising funds for any ob- 
ject of public charity, and though much time was occupied with other objects 
relating to the cause, yet the subscriptions obtained amount to $10,015.23, of 
which $7,963.23 has been paid. Of this amount $3,711 was from Louisiana, 
$2,930 from Mississippi, and $2,685.23, including $1,200 from the State Socie- 
ty at Frankfort, Kentucky ; $590 from Mobile, Alabama, and $100 from New 
Albany, Indiana. 

In his report to the board, already before the public, the secretary acknow- 
ledges, with gratitude to the great Author of benevolence, and of all success in 
benevolent enterprizes, that, during his extensive tour, and his intercourse 
with thousands of his countrymen in the vast and busy world of the west and 
southwest, he has experienced from ail kindness and hospitality onl}' ; that in 
prosecution of endeavors to subserve the cause of African colonization, he 



28 

has, in nearly every instance, received cordial, in some powerful aid, and in no 
rase encountered o])position ; thai he has found pcrvadint;, generally, the minds 
of virtuous and retlectiiii; men in that portion of the union, a desire that this 
cause should he susiiiiiied, as of concern to ])alriolisni no less than to humani- 
ly, by the slate and federal governments, connected wiih a disposition (until it 
shall bo so sustained) to give it their influence, their prayers, and their dona- 
lions. 

^\'helher we consider instances of the emancipation of slaves vi-ith a viev? 
to their colonization in Africa, the munificent heciuests recently made to their 
Society, or the amount of money contributed by the auxiliary associations in 
Mississippi and Louisiana, we may conclude that, throughout the union, there 
is no field of better promise to the cause ; none from which emigrants in larger 
numbers, or more suitable, can be expected ; none which will yield ampler 
means for their prosj)erous settlement in Liberia. 

nETUIlX OF TIIF. LATE COLONIAL AGEXT. 

Dr. Ezekiel Skinner, who consented to accept, until some other well quali- 
fied person shouKl be appointed, Ihc office of Colonial Agent, and who has de- 
voted himself with most untiring zeal, disinterestedness and activity to the 
welfare of the colonists, has been compelled, by ill health, to return to the 
United States. The managers would do injustice to theirown sensibility, did 
they not express the esteem they cherish for that moral courage and enthusiasm 
which prompted this gentleman, after suffering bereavement in the loss of a 
son, who, with his wife and child, died in the missionary service to Africa, to 
leave his own family, that on a distant and heathen shore, amid toil and peril, 
he might alleviate human sulfering, and assist to build up the homes of freedom 
and the churches of the living God. 

APPOINTMENT OF GOVElUfOIl OF THE COLONY. 

The managers are gratified to be able to state that Captain E. A. Hitchcock, 
a gentleman of commanding qualifications for the station, has received, by an 
unanimous vole, the appointment of Governor of Liberia, and strong hopes 
may be entertained that he will accept the appointment. 

Ill conclusion the managers would present devout thanksgiving to 
the Almighty Father of mankind, by whose sustaining energies and provi- 
dential care they have been permitt^id to continue their exertions during another 
year. Events since the lust anniversary of this Society solemnly admonish its 
present nieinbers that they must soon resign their great trust to other hands, 
and from the scenes of eternity alone expect to view the consummation of their 
enlcr|)rise. But their work will survive them. The material they would re- 
novate is human nature ; the element they would move is the human soul, 
that glorious clement of power, embodying all the essential hopes and interests 
and fortunes of man. 

Let this Society feel the magnitude and importance of its work. Let them 
regard it as a work |iJtriotic and benevolent in all its tendencies, the execution 
of which is demanded alike by the love of our country, our nature, and our 
God ; and which, contributing to the honor and safety of one land, will shed 
over another — dark, savage, deep stained with crime and blood — the blessings 
of freedom and civilization, and the inextinguishable light of (jhristianily. 



54 V 



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